Author: Paul

I dislike using “medieval” in any sort of negative context, since that has been done so often and so unfairly. This time, however, I will, and that’s because, historically, fighting about words really is medieval. Continue reading “Fighting About Words Is Medieval”

(Originally published August 31, 2020.)

I’ve gone on for a long time about fear making humans stupid, and even about it being a weapon and a brain poison. But I’ve also wondered at times whether people would hit fear-fatigue… that point where people have simply had enough and walk out from under it. Continue reading “The Wages of Perpetual Fear”

Having recently experienced violent idealists roaming our streets, burning things, breaking things and generally enjoying the fact that they can scare people, I think a brief explanation of how idealism leads to destruction and death is in order. Continue reading “How Idealism Leads to Death”

(Originally published July 22, 2020.)

Let’s be honest about something: We in the West have been overrun by a tidal wave of racial hatred, and it erupted from institutions “of higher learning.” Whatever exceptions may exist, this central fact is clear. We are free to close our eyes, of course, but when we choose to see, this is what stands in front of us. Continue reading “The Barbarians Have Taken The Institutions”

I would pay dearly for young people to feel what it was like to be a scientifically minded child in the 1960s. It was a special and beautiful moment. Each week there was a new step toward the stars. And this was not science fiction, this was real. There was an exhilaration to it that I don’t think can be found in any other venture. The door to infinite space was creaking open for us. Continue reading “To Be Young and Headed to the Stars”

The biggest crimes stand in the open; what prevents people from seeing them is simply their size and the fact that they are crimes. We can’t believe that such large evils are possible. They have to be explicable some other way. And so we notice them for only the blink of an eye, immediately conjuring a rationalization to save ourselves from the sight. Continue reading “The Ultimate Crime”

(Originally published June 22, 2020.)

I hadn’t planned on this post, but the ongoing mania compels me to contribute something toward the preservation of sanity and civilization. And so, here are some things to remember: Continue reading “The Preservation of Sanity And Civilization”

What I’m calling “monkey masculinity” is a deep and old problem, and one that I will shortly explain. And unfortunately it will not vanish in any short period of time.

The “surge” part of our title, however, refers to a recent phenomenon, and it will vanish. In fact, I think its process of decline is beginning right now. Continue reading “The Surge And Fall Of Monkey Masculinity”

I am no fan of violent revolution, yet I have to admit that John Kennedy had a point when he said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” The forces that drive revolutions push themselves to the surface one way or another. If they can find a peaceful path, they have a chance to transform the world slowly and beneficially. If they are repressed, violence occurs sooner or later. Continue reading “Cryptography Has Revolutionized Revolution”

Almost no one in the broader world knows about the crypto apostles. (My term, not one they apply to themselves.) Even rather few in the larger crypto community know much about them. So I’m not talking about famous names, but quiet people. I’ve decided to tell you about them with some hesitation. Continue reading “The Crypto Apostles”